Graphic arts film dryer

ABSTRACT

A FILM DRYER INCLUDING A CABINET HAVING AN ENTRANCE OPENING AND AN EXIT OPENING, A SERIES OF ROLLS BETWEEN THE OPENINGS, THE ROLLS INCLUDING SQUEEZE ROLLS, AND FINAL TRANSPORT ROLLS SPARINGLY GRIPPING THE FILM AT THE EXIT OPENING, AND BLOWER MEANS WITHIN THE CABINET PRODUCING AN AIR STREAM BLOWING AGAINST THE FILM.

2D. c. EDGINGTON GRAPHIC ARTS FILM DRYER 3' Sheets-Sheet l Fild N v; 29,1 1968 FIG-3 INVENTOR DONALD-C. EDGINGTON am 444 6;

ATTORNEY Jan. 1971 D. c. EDGINGTON GRAPHIC ARTS FILM DRYER Filed Nbv. 29, 1968 3 Sheets-Shoot 3 f 38 I l/ 1 1/1/11 [III I III! INVENTO R DONALD C. EDGINGTON BY M l M, I: 1- 4&4 l

United States Patent O 3,557,469 GRAPHIC ARTS FILM DRYER Donald C. Edgington, 2425 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60614 Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 588,084, Oct. 20, 1966. This application Nov. 29, 1968, Ser. No. 780,071 j Int. Cl. F26b 13/00 US. Cl. 34-151 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A film dryer including a cabinet having an entrance opening and an exit opening, a series of rolls between the openings, the rolls including squeegee rolls, and final transport rolls sparingly gripping the film at the exit opening, and blower means within the cabinet producing an air stream blowing against the film.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 588,084, filed Oct. 20, 1966, now abandoned.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention resides in the field of graphic arts, and is utilized for drying films. In the use of the dryer, a film is inserted thereinto and passed between a series of rolls, a stream of air is directed against the film, on both sides, for drying it, as it passes through the cabinet, and the film then emerges from an exit opening. The rolls maintain the film in generally flattened condition in its passage through the dryer while air is blown against it.

OBJECTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION A broad object of the present invention is to provide a novel film dryer of the foregoing general character.

Another object is to provide a film dryer of the foregoing character having a series of rolls which include a plurality of squeegee rolls of novel construction for removing the greater part of the water from the film.

Another object is to provide a film dryer of the type just referred to including novel construction providing means for stripping the film from the squeegee rolls and maintaining effectively continuous surfaces of the squeegee rolls, in axial direction.

Still another object is to provide a film dryer of the foregoing general character and including an arrangement for producing a pressure air stream and directing it against the film, including novel construction for controlling the overall pressure of that air stream.

Another object of the invention is to provide a film dryer of the foregoing general character having rolls for transmitting the film through the dryer and having a novel construction and arrangement for developing the air stream for producing desired pressure of the air against the film, and such pressure at substantially all points distributed over the surfaces of the film.

Still another object is to provide a construction of the character just referred to having novel construction for controlling air pressure so as to effect the intended and desired pressures throughout the system, including the pressure of the final portion of the air stream impinging against the film.

An additional object is to provide a film dryer of the kind just referred to in which the rolls include, at the final stage of the total series of rolls, a unit of transport rolls closely adjacent the exit opening, operative for continuing the movement of the film through the exit opening, but being of substantially less mass than the squeegee rolls leading thereto, whereby to provide more open space for the passage of air past the transport rolls through the exit opening to relieve the pressure within the cabinet developed in producing the air stream against the film.

Still another and more specific object is to provide a film dryer of the character just referred to, in which the transport rolls include a special construction including offset elements for producing a corrugated or fluted, although minor, condition of the film whereby to control the movement of the film directly linearly through the exit opening which prevents the accidental movement of the film around the transport rolls, and eliminates the necessity for stripper means for preventing such movement of the film around those rolls.

A further object is to provide a film dryer of the foregoing overall character operative for imparting heat, from the operating components of the device, for heating the air directed against the film, without the necessity for incorporating means specially designed for heating.

Still another object is to provide a film dryer of the foregoing general character which is of extremely compact form from the standpoint of the advantages achieved, including a small and compact cabinet with all the operating components contained therein.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a film dryer incorporating the features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a large scale sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a large scale, fragmentary view taken at line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view taken at line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a view taken at line 7-7 of FIG. 4 but showing principally only the components appearing in the plane of that view;

FIG. 8 is a view taken at line 8-8 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 is a view taken at line 9-9 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 10 is a large scale, fragmentary detail view taken at line 10-10 of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 11 is a large scale detail, fragmentary, perspective view taken generally in the direction of the arrow 11 of FIG. 4.

Referring now in detail to the accompanying drawings attention is directed first to FIG. 1 showing the film dryer in overall appearance and with a minimum of details. The film dryer includes a cabinet having a front wall 22 in which is formed an entrance opening 24. The cabinet also includes a left end wall 26 and a right end wall 28 so identified for convenience in further reference to the device. The cabinet also includes a rear wall 30 (FIG. 4) having an exit opening 32. For further convenience in reference to the device, the cabinet includes a bottom wall element 34 (FIG. 4) and a top wall element 38.

Within the cabinet is a left end partition wall (FIGS. 2 and 3) and a right end partition wall 42 defining therebetween, with the other surrounding elements of the cabinet, a main space 44, at the right end of which is a space 46 and at the left end a space 48.

In the main space 44 is a series of rolls 50, including (FIG. 1) a first series 50a and a second series 50b respectively above and below a plane 52 conveniently identified as a film plane in which a film lies, substantially, in its travel through the dryer as explained below. The rolls 50 are arranged in pairs, in each pair there being one above and below the film plane e.g., 50a1, 50b1, vertically aligned and directly opposed and interengaging in the absence of the film, and workably engaging the film when the film is between rolls. The rolls further include a first group 500 and a second group 50d, in this case a single pair. The first group 50c are identified as squeegee rolls and the second group 50d as transport rolls, both described in detail as to their construction hereinbelow.

In the preferred arrangement the squeegee rolls consist in a plurality of pairs such as four pairs, while there is only a single pair of transport rolls 50d which form the final pair of rolls. All the rolls are driven as by a motor '53 mounted in the space 46 through suitable drive transmitting means, in directions indicated by the arrows in FIG. 4, feeding the film along as stated.

The cabinet preferably has a shalf 54 leading inwardly from the entrance opening 24 and terminating inwardly closely adjacent the bight of the first pair of rolls 50a1, 50121. Preferably the shelf is flexible and engages the leading roll 50b1 over a short distance angularly thereof, for lifting water from the roll and deflecting it out of the cabinet through the inlet opening 24, the shelf being inclined downwardly in outward direction for that purpose. At the exit opening 32 is a shelf 56 positioned for receiving the film from the final transport rolls 50d in the movement of the film through the exit opening 32. The rolls extend axially the full length of the entrance and exit openings, and preferably slightly therebeyond to fully accommodate a film conveyed therethrough.

Attention is next directed to the construction of the rolls 50; each roll 500 includes a central shaft 58 and a sheath 60 thereon, the sheath being made up of a plurality of sections 60a (-FIGS. 3 and 6) butted end to end. The roll includes suitable end support means 62 holding the sections 60a in mutual abutting engagement forming an effectively continuous roll having a continuous outer cylindrical surface extending throughout the full axial length of the roll as defined by those segments. The material of sheath 60 may be of desired material such for example as rubber or rubber-like product having similar resiliency characteristics.

At the junctures between the sections 60a (see FIG. 6) identified as 60b are breakaway clips 64, each having an inner end portion 64b (FIG. surrounding the central shaft 58, and legs 640 having curved outer end elements 64d detachably mounted on a pipe 66 serving as a mounting member, this mounting member extending longitudinally between the adjacent rolls, and mounted in a convenient construction such as in the partition wall elements, 40, 42 (FIG. 2). The pipe 66 is also utilized as a conduit for conveying air as described hereinbelow. The breakaway clips 64 can be removed and replaced by merely lifting the end elements 64d (FIG. 5) and releasing them from the pipe 66 and then removing the clips from between the sections 60a of the roll.

The legs 64c extend longitudinally generally in the direction of the movement of the film through the dryer and preferably substantially parallel to the film plane 52. The point of emergence of the clip from the juncture of the roll, which is identified as 64e (FIG. 6), is displaced circumferentially a substantial extent indicated by the arrows 65 from the portion 60c which is the bottommost point in the upper rolls and the uppermost point in the bottom rolls, forming the interengaging surfaces of the rolls of each pair, to an effect presently refrered to. FIG. 6, and as related to FIG. 5, shows the point 64e of emergence of the shank 64 from between the roll sections which is substantially displaced circumferentially from the point or line or area 60c of the roll. As the film passes through between the rolls any tendency of the film to follow around the roll, which is a commonly recognized problem, is counteracted by the film engaging the legs 64c of the clips which then deflect or continue the direction of the film in the plane 52; because of the resilience of the sheath 60 of the squeegee rolls, the sections 60a thereof which are biased together, overlap or hug over the breakaway clips and form, at the area 600, a substantially continuous surface engaging the corresponding surface of the other roll, or the film when the film is between the rolls.

Preferably the breakaway clips 64 of the two rolls of each pair are mutually staggered or offset axially (FIG. 3), and also the clips in the successive rolls on each side of the film plane are staggered or offset from one roll to the next. The transport rolls 50d, in contrast to the squeegee rolls 500 include a plurality of axially spaced roll elements, and are not continuous. In this case (FIG. 11) each roll includes a central shaft 68 upon which are mounted a plurality of roll elements 70, each of minor axial extent, and spaced axially along the shaft. The roll elements may be of material similar to the sheath 60, i.e., resilient. The roll elements 70 of the two rolls 50d above and below the film plane '52 (FIG. 4) are mutually offset or staggered as represented in FIGS. 3, 7 and 11. The roll elements 70 are preferably of a diameter such that they project radially beyond each other a slight distance represented by the space 72 (FIG. 7) which in the illustration given is highly exaggerated. The film 18 in emerg ing from the squeegee rolls 50c and passing through and beyond the transport rolls 50d may otherwise tend to follow one or the other of the rolls but this tendency is overcome by the provision of the mutual over-extension or overprojection of the rolls 50d, to form a corrugated or fluted effect in the film. This corrugated effect strengthens the film in longitudinal direction, i.e., against deflection about an axis transverse thereto or parallel to the rolls. It will be understood that any such corrugation or fluted effect, as represented in exaggerated form in FIG. 7, is of very minor degree, so as not to adversely affect the condition of the film from the standpoint of faithful reproduction thereof.

The effect of the transport rolls 50d in projecting the film straightforward eliminates the necessity for breakaway clips or other stripping means to prevent the film from wrapping around one of the rolls, which would be a difficult provision in the face of the outlet opening construction including the shelf 56 (FIG. 4), such an arrangement or construction making it extremely difficult to provide breakaway clips or equivalent stripping means. Additionally because of the less mass of the transport rolls, they can be positioned closely adjacent the exit opening for facilitating conveyance of the film through that opening while at the same time providing large total opening for passage of air through the spaces between the roll segments.

The construction includes means for developing a stream of air and impinging it against the film as the film passes through the device. This means for developing the air stream preferably is contained entirely within the cabinet whereby to provide a complete, compact and selfcontained unit. In the space 48 is a wall construction 74 defining an air pressure chamber 76 from which lead the conduits or pipes 66 referred to above, disposed between the respective rolls 50 and extending therealong, and having entrance openings 80 communicating with the air pressure space 76. The conduits or pipes 66 are provided with apertures 82 spaced therealong and directed toward the film. The total area of the apertures 82 in all of the conduits is less than the total area of the inlet 80 of the conduits leading from the pressure chamber 76. This difference is preferably on the order of 10% which has been found to be most effective for producing uniform pressure in all of the apertures. The apertures preferably are spaced apart on the order of one inch.

It has been found that such apertures are more effective than for example a continuous slot; the latter does not so effectively produce a uniform pressure, it is more difficult to produce from the standpoint of accuracy of size, unless the inlet to the conduits would be so large as to be impractical, and a slot may vary in width in operation from different sources, such as variation in air pressure.

Disposed in the pressure chamber 48 is a blower 84 having axial inlet openings 86 and an outlet opening 88 communicating with the pressure chamber 76. The blower is driven by a suitable means such as a motor 78.

The inlet opening 86 of the blower is preferably larger than the total area of the inlet openings 80 of the conduits 78 and in this relationship preferably being of the same order, namely the area of the openings 80 is in the neighborhood of less than the area of the opening 86.

The cabinet is provided with an opening 88 (FIG. 2) leading to and communicating with the space 48, and for convenience it may be provided with a shell or hood 90 open at its ends enabling the free passage of air therethrough and through the opening 88, as indicated by the arrows 92. The opening 88 is provided with a shutter means or valving means 94 (FIGS. 9, 10). The bottom wall element 34 of the cabinet is provided With a plurality of slots 96, and movable element 98 is provided having a plurality of slots 100 similar in spacing and width to the slots 96; the movable element 98 is movable between a full open position shown in FIG. 10A, and a closed position in which all of these slots 96 are closed, the position FIG. 10B being a semi-closed position in which the slots 96-, 100, have partial communication establishing an air passage less than the full dimension of the openings 96. Preferably the relationship between the total area of the openings 96 and the inlet 86 of the blower is the same as in the other portions of the sequence, namely the inlet area 86 of the blower is approximately 10% less than the total area of the openings 96.

There is no means included in the device specifically for providing heat; the motors in their normal operation provide a significant amount of heat, and I have found that if the valving means 94 is shut down somewhat, the blower motor works harder in attempting to produce full capacity and develops more heat, the additional heat, in certain instances at least, more than compensating for the lesser amount of air impelled against the film, in the drying operation.

The movable element 98 may be provided with a hand grasp member 102 extending to the exterior. The shell or hood 90 provides a protection covering the inlet opening 88 and also may provide a support for supporting the corresponding end of the device.

What is claimed is:

1. A film dryer comprising a cabinet having an entrance opening and an exit opening, a plurality of sets of rolls, each set having rolls on opposite sides of a central film plane which all of the sets together define, the rolls receiving therebetween in said film plane the film to be dried, the rolls being distributed and spaced apart transverse to their axes throughout a range from closely adjacent the entrance opening to closely adjacent the exit opening, the rolls including a plurality of resilient squeegee rolls having interengageable surfaces extending effectively continuously axially the full extent thereof and the full extent of the openings, means for providing an air stream against a film in said film plane including conduits between adjacent rolls on each side of the film plane having apertures directed toward the film plane, and also including means for withdrawing air from the exterior through an opening other than the entrance and exit openings and forcing it through the conduits and apertures, the rolls being of substantial diameter whereby each pair of opposed rolls extend a substantial distance in direction transverse to the film plane, and together encompassing a vertical extent greater than the entrance and exit openings, the rolls also including a set of transport rolls closely adjacent the exit opening, each transport roll including axially spaced roll elements together constituting a mass substantially less than a continuous such roll, the first set of squeegee rolls being closely adjacent the entrance opening and due to that proximity and to their greater body providing substantial blocking effect to passage of air from the interior of the cabinet past those rolls through the entrance opening, and the transport rolls due to their make-up of axially spaced roll elements with spaces therebetween, providing a greater total passage area for flow of air from the interior of the cabinet through the exit opening.

2. A film dryer according to claim 1 wherein the squeegee rolls are of resilient material, and including means biasing the axially contiguous sections in each roll into effective engagement with each other such that the portions of the rolls directly opposed to each other are effectively continuous and engage each other substantially throughout their length in axial direction.

3. A film dryer according to claim 1 wherein the breakaway clips in the pair of rolls of each set are mutually offset along the axis of the rolls.

4. A film dryer according to claim 1 and including a plurality of sets of squeegee rolls, and wherein the breakaway clips are mutually offset progressing in direction from the entrance opening to the exit opening on each side of the film plane.

5. A film dryer according to claim 1 wherein each squeegee roll includes a central shaft and a sheath of resilient material thereon, and each breakaway clip has a bend element on its inner end encircling the shaft and an outer end including a leg extending forwardly from the roll in the direction of movement of the film, and mounting means is provided forwardly of each roll releaseably receiving the forward ends of the clips, and further wherein the legs of the clips are substantially straight.

6. A film dryer comprising a generally closed cabinet having an entrance opening at one side and exit opening at the other side, a plurality of pairs of rolls reaching from the entrance opening to the exit opening, the rolls of each pair being adapted to receive a film therebetween and the rolls being operative for feeding the film through the cabinet, and the film when gripped between the rolls of the pairs lying substantially in a plane extending from the entrance opening to the exit opening the rolls including a plurality of pairs of squeegee rolls, the rolls of each pair being on opposite sides of the film plane and the rolls extending throughout the lengths of the openings, a first of the pair of squeegee rolls being closely adjacent the entrance opening, the squeegee rolls each including a central shaft and a sheath of soft resilient material thereon made up of a plurality of sections butted end to end on the shaft, a plurality of breakaway clips associated with each squeegee roll, one to each of the junction between adjacent sections and each clip having a first end with a bend element thereon extending into the junction between adjacent sections and surrounding the shaft of the roll and an extended end extending therefrom generally in the direction of movement of a film between the rolls, means associated with each shaft for detachably mounting the extended ends of the clips associated with that roll, the clips at their point of projection into the respective junctions being displaced circumferentially from the portion of the rolls of each pair which are directed toward each other, and those portions being positioned for engaging each other in the absence of a film, and to engage a film present therebetween, the rolls also including a final pair of transport rolls, each roll including a plurality of roll elements each of minor axial extent, and the elements being spaced apart axially whereby the total mass of the roll elements is substantially less than that of the squeegee rolls, the elements on the transport rolls being mutually displaced axially, the cabinet including a relatively large main area including said rolls and also including a supplemental area forming an air chest, blower means in said air chest having an outlet in the air chest, a plurality of conduits communicating with the air chest and extending between pairs of rolls on each side of the film plane and having apertures directed toward the film plane, the total area of the apertures being less than the total area of the inlets to said conduits, the cabinet also including an opening from the exterior and defining a passage between that opening and the blower, the blower having an opening communicating with that passage of an area greater than the total inlet area of the conduits communicating with the air chest, the cabinet also including valving means in said opening from the exterior, the total opening of the opening to the exterior being greater than the entrance opening to the blower, and the valving means being operative for adjustably controlling the total area of said opening from the exterior.

7. A film dryer according to claim 1 wherein the roll elements of the transport rolls are mutually offset axially whereby to provide a corrugated or fluted effect on the film upon emerging from therebetween and moving through the exit opening.

8. A film dryer comprising a cabinet having an entrance opening and-an exit opening, a plurality of sets of opposed rolls defining a central film plane and receiv ing therebetween in the film plane the film to be dried, air conduits positioned between each pair of sets of adjacent rolls and having air openings directed toward the film plane, the air conduits being of lesser diameter than the rolls, the rolls including at least one set of squeegee rolls each made up of a series of axially contiguous sections, the dryer also including breakaway clips associated with each roll, and each clip extending into the interior of the squeegee roll and having a leg extending outwardly therefrom beyond the surface thereof at a position displaced circumferentially from the meeting point of the rolls of each set, the leg of each clip being detachably connected with the air conduit associated therewith whereby to restrict the clip against rotation and displacement about the axis of the squeegee roll and thereby maintaining the leg of the clip in position extending generally parallel with the film plane.

9. A film dryer according to claim 8 wherein each clip is of hairpin shape having a loop portion operatively connected with the squeegee roll and outer detachedleg end portions resiliently engaging the air conduit whereby to yield to enable removal of the clip from the foregoing mounted position.

10. A film dryer comprising a cabinet having an entrance opening and an exit opening, a plurality of sets of opposed rolls defining a central film plane extending between the openings and receiving therebetween in the film plane the film to be dried, the rolls being spaced apart transverse to their axes in and distributed throughout a range from adjacent the entrance opening to adjacent the exit opening, and including at least one set of resilient squeegee rolls, each of which is made up of a series of axially contiguous sections, and including breakaway clips one at each juncture of adjacent roll sections and having an inner end projecting inwardly beyond the outer surface of the roll and an outer end extending outwardly therefrom generally in the direction of the film plane, the outer end being offset circumferentially from the portion of the roll engaging the other roll of its set.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,350,342 6/1944 Fay 68271X 2,022,593 11/1935 Fuykers 34--23 2,574,900 11/1951 Williams 34155 2,576,226 11/1951 Huber et al. 34-99 2,767,485 10/1956 Holden 34-205 3,025,779 3/1962 Russell et al. 34160X 3,071,866 1/1963 Mangus 34-162X 3,084,683 4/1963 Gilbertson 126290 3,308,555 3/1967 Kruger 34-162UX 3,334,421 8/1967 Morris 34155X 3,340,618 9/1967 Bentzman 34-162 FOREIGN PATENTS 73,421 5/1917 Austria 3470 396,621 8/1933 Great Britain 34-70 FREDERICK L. MATTESON, Primary Examiner H. B. RAMEY, Assistant Examiner 

